Stolen
by raistss
Summary: Dominic Cobb had gotten home, and the rest of the gang had gone their separate ways. But Dominic had forgotten about one certain company – one who was definitely not done with him. Inspired by the Inception comic, 'THE COBOL JOB,' and set post-movie. Implied Arthur/Cobb, if you look hard enough. Rated T for...something? I don't remember.
1. Chapter 1 - Introduction

A/N: No, I do not own Inception o anything that has to do with it. (Sure wish I did.)

Therefore, do not kill me and enjoy!

* * *

Dominic Cobb decided to take a walk on the first day of December, exactly one year and two months after performing inception on Robert Fischer. There was a constant sense of foreboding that followed him around ever since, and he knew subconsciously that something he'd forgotten about would pull him, once again, away from his children. He'd always felt the ominous presence of enemies while working with the dream-sharing, and it had eventually bled into his conscious mind. The feeling had began to grow, slowly but surely. He could feel it following him, and it set him on edge. He was jumpy and agitated, and kept in close contact with Arthur. Sometimes the feeling of fear became so overwhelming that he'd start to feel nauseous.

Dom was confused, however. Who or what could be after him? He hadn't pissed anybody off- pondered the answer to his question as he walked. The cold November air bit at his skin, but he rather liked it. As he was crossing the street, his attention wandered to the trees, whose golden-red leaves rustled softly. Several of the more golden leaves fell down, and they landed on the sidewalk with a slight crunch. This was usually the only time of day where he could truly feel relaxed; the very crack of dawn.

He only saw two or three people and about sixty cars, which was what he loved about his morning walks. Calm and quiet were two things Dom always looked for. Those who knew him well knew of his paranoia, his anxiety, and his consistent fear of getting stuck in a dream again. He'd tried to get help; to talk to a therapist about it, but none of it really affected him. Dominic learned to relax to a certain extent; and to tell himself that he couldn't get stuck in a dream, that nobody was coming for him, but eventually he'd think, _Hey, that's not right. I shouldn't make promises I can't keep._

Suddenly, Dom heard someone step behind him, felt something strike his head, and blacked out.

* * *

When Dominic woke up, he found himself in a small, dark room. There were no windows; in fact there was nothing but the door behind him and the wooden chair he was tied to. His head ached from the blow he'd received, and his thoughts were muddled; vague and fleeting. It suddenly occurred to him that this could be a dream. Had he been captured, and then thrown into a dream-share, designed to extract information from him? Dom had no way of getting to his totem, but he could feel it in his pocket. He had no weapons or any form of self-defense, since he'd left them back in the safe at home. Now, he regretted that. Even if this was a dream, he could not get access to a weapon.

The door swung open, filling the room with bright light. Dom's body decided to give him the gift of an increased headache at that moment.

"Still not as tough when you're awake, are you?"

Dominic flinched as he recognized the voice. He strained to look behind him, but could only see the blurry silhouette of the man he'd been running from for the weeks before their inception. George Woodruff's shadow fell across the room as his lips parted into a malicious grin. He advanced towards Dom, who let out an involuntary growl.

George chuckled. "It's not me you should be growling at, Mr. Cobb. I'm not the one who arranged this; I'm just doing what I was paid to do."

Dom remained silent, glaring at the businessman.

"Not going to talk, are you? We were expecting that. But don't worry; they've got a way to make you talk." George chuckled. "Not that we plan to take advantage of it right away."

Dom glanced at the man questioningly. "What do you want from me?" He asked; his tone quiet and threatening.

George glanced at Dominic. "This is not an extraction, Mr. Cobb. We don't want any information from you. We want to offer you a job," he paused, forming the words in his mind. "Either you work for us; picking up the mess you've made, or you can tell us the secrets to inception, and we'll let you go. Refuse both of these options, and someone very close to you will suffer."

Dominic felt his stomach drop. "Who exactly are you talking about?"

George grinned. "Don't accept the job, and you'll find out."

Dom shook his head slowly, biting his lip.

"We'll give you time to think about it. You enjoy yourself now," George said, leaving. The door slammed behind him, and the room was flooded in darkness.

* * *

Arthur knew he shouldn't have let Dominic take that walk. Now he had no choice but to watch James and Phillipa until a babysitter was available, and they kept asking where their father had gone and if he would come back. It was hard to tell them that he didn't know where the man was, that he, in fact, didn't really know anything at all. He knew who and why, though.

The two of them had both forgotten about the (failed) Cobol Job, having been more focused on the (successful) Fischer inception. But now Arthur remembered it, having received a text from an unidentified caller, which simply said, _"We have something you want, and we want something from you in return."_

That had sparked his memory, and the memory had been in the form of a conversation.

_ "Not so tough when you're awake, are you, Cobb?" The tourist sneered._

_ "Go ahead. Test that theory out," Dom sniped._

_ "We would be wise to return Mr. Kaneda to his room before he can eye-witness his captors," interrupted George Woodruff. "I can handle Mr. Cobb and his associates from here."_

_ "Be seeing you, mate," the tourist laughed, pointing at Dom and leaving the room._

_ "Did you find what we paid you to look for, Mr. Cobb?" George asked._

_ "Kaneda doesn't have what you want, Mr. Woodruff," Dom replied._

_ Arthur was shocked. "It wasn't in there?!"_

_ Ignoring Arthur's outburst, George said, "I find it hard to believe that Proclus Global's chief engineer knows nothing about an expansion plan he designed himself."_

_ "The intel you gave us was wrong. The plan isn't Kaneda's idea. It's his boss's," Dominic said, rather matter-of-factly._

_ "—Then we need to extract it directly from Mr. Saito's mind," George thought aloud. "We'll hold onto Kaneda until you're able to finish the job."_

_ "I'm not going into Saito's mind. We weren't hired to do that," Dom hissed._

_ "I don't think you understand the stakes, Mr. Cobb. Cobol Engineering is in the process of bidding on a job to build an oil pipeline up the entire Eastern coast of Africa." George noticed the top lying on the floor, and knelt next to it. "That endeavor is being financed by Fischer/Morrow, the energy conglomerate whose major competitor happens to be Mr. Saito. We were hoping to trade the information you extracted from Mr. Kaneda to sway Fisher/Morrow in our favor. But now we are empty-handed. Due to your failure. I assure you it isn't our company's policy to accept failure. Not lightly." George reached out towards the top. "And let's not forget, you are a wanted man, Mr. Cobb. You will have no one to turn to for help if you disappoint us."_

_ "I get the point," Dominic said, grabbing the top off the floor swiftly._

Arthur had remembered the whole conversation, and kept it in mind when they were attempting to extract from Saito. Of course, they failed, and they had to run, but got hired by Saito instead. It had all been fast and quite confusing, and he'd eventually forgotten, in favor of their success.


	2. Chapter 2 - Nightmares

When Dom had finally returned home, he had quickly forgotten about the world around him. He had missed James and Phillipa dearly, and spent as much time with them as he could. Eventually, though, he did have to find a (legal) job. It took a long time and a great deal of effort before he was accepted as an architect for an up-and-coming housing company. He also struggled in the social aspect; as many of his old friends had believed that he'd killed Mal, and could not accept that he had needed to leave his children behind.

Eventually, he sought out the company of his most trusted friends; Arthur, Eames, Saito, Yusuf, and Ariadne. Though they had all gone their separate ways after the inception, they kept in contact. Dominic had begun to suspect that Ariadne had a crush on him when she insisted on going with them for the inception, and their emails afterwards only confirmed his suspicions. She had gone back to college, and Arthur, Eames, and Yusuf had continued with their previous extraction and dream-share business. They'd often visit if they happened to be in the country or taking a break, and otherwise kept in contact via email.

It had been hard to adjust back to his normal life. Dominic would often become suspicious of random people around him, still thinking that people were chasing him down. He only felt completely content when he was at home with his kids, or surrounded by his 'fellow inceptors,' as they liked to call themselves.

As Dominic recalled all of this, he felt a cold, empty loneliness growing deep within his chest. He knew he couldn't accept George's demand, but what would happen if he didn't? He struggled against the ropes binding him against the chair, but quickly realized it was hopeless. He could feel the rope burns, and he knew they were bleeding by now, due to his attempt at getting out of them. He sat for nearly five hours before he managed to fall asleep, simply from exhaustion.

After getting stuck in a dream for more than 50 years the first time, then 10 more years for the inception, Dominic had grown to fear dreaming, and slowly became an insomniac. It got worse as the nightmares came back. The effects of using the PASIV regularly for shared and personal dreaming had worn off after a couple months of not using it, causing his nightmares to creep their way back into his life.

His nightmares were violent, twisted versions of some of his worst memories. Sure, he'd let go of Mal. He could handle it when James asked where mommy was. She didn't interfere with any of the extractions he'd taken just for the heck of it - before he'd gotten a job. He wasn't guilty about her death, and he certainly didn't blame himself completely for it. Even so, he had still loved her. Of all the terrible memories Dom would never tell anybody, the ones he had with Mal would always be the most dreadful.

Now, he dreamed of the day he'd found Mal brushing her finger along the edge of the knife she'd been cutting tomatoes with.

_ He knelt down next her, taking her hand in his own and slowly moving it away from the cooking utensil. He set down his cup of coffee. He'd begged, pleaded, and argued with her for so long, but she still refused to accept reality. He was too worn out and terrified to handle another spat, so he took the knife from the table and put it back in the kitchen. Suddenly, he heard the sound of glass breaking. He turned around, and what he saw was horrific._

_ Mal had smashed the coffee mug against her chest, and the pieces dug into her skin, soaking her clothes with blood. Her hair grew wet, dripping with blood and writhing like snakes. Dom was frozen in place, ice covering his legs, all the way up to his knees. Mal's skin turned completely red, and her hair slithered out, taking the form of tentacles. she produced a particularly large shard of the coffee mug, grasping it firmly in her crimson hand. She advanced towards Dominic._

_ James came running into the room. "Daddy, daddy! come see what I built!"_

_ Dom panicked. "James, go back to your room, okay? Go!"_

_ But he wasn't fast enough. Mal's other hand grabbed James and held him in front of her. She held the shard to James's chest. "You know they aren't real, Dom. I'll prove it to you right now. We're in a dream, and you're so confused you can't be helped in any other way!"_

_ "Mal, you know that's not true. You're the one that's confused, all right? J-just set that down and we'll talk, okay? Please, don't do this to me." Dom tried to break free of the ice that held him in place, but he was stuck._

_ Mal sighed, shaking her head. "I'll show you now, Dom." Her hand moved away from James, pausing for a second, then flew towards his chest._

Dominic woke up with a jolt. He fought for air, and his heart was beating faster than it had ever beat before. His mind kept replaying the dream over and over, and couldn't control it. He sobbed, wishing Arthur were there to help him with his issues.


	3. Chapter 3 - Foreboding

Arthur had found it difficult to go back into dream-sharing without Dominic. The two of them had worked together for more than seven years; even before Mal had died. Arthur himself was the one who'd sent the plane ticket to Dominic; he just couldn't be there in person because he was working at that precise time. Once Dom had arrived, Arthur had been next to him at all times. He rented their hotel rooms in his name, and bought all of the stuff Dom had forgotten in his rush to get there. However, it was a very trying time for both of them, and Dominic had mostly locked himself in his hotel room for hours, refusing to talk to anyone. Arthur understood that he wanted to be left alone, but he had to restrain himself from dragging Dom out of that dark, miserable room.

The two had met during their second extraction. Arthur had hired Dom, and when they met it was basically an instant friendship. The two fit together like puzzle pieces, and they worked together on every job they had. Dominic met Mal about five months after their first job, and the two got married a year later. Arthur hadn't lied when he told Ariadne she was lovely; but he didn't tell her that he was secretly a little jealous. Only a little, because Dom maintained their friendship. When Dominic and Mal had gotten stuck in limbo, they were there for nearly three days of 'real time.' The experience screwed with both of their heads, though.

Arthur would always be able to pinpoint Dom's stubborn, unchanging depression to that very day, when he woke up from such a lengthy dream. They both knew there was something wrong with Mal, but neither wanted to be the one to admit it. It grew worse as weeks, months passed by, and Dominic often visited Arthur, trying to get away from the stress. It was their fourth anniversary when she jumped from the hotel window, killing herself and ruining Dominic's life. He'd received the plane ticket the day after it happened, and when Arthur met him at the airport, he was still in shock from the whole ordeal.

Dom had only managed to pack four outfits, and he'd forgotten nearly everything else he needed. He was completely silent throughout the trip to their hotel. Arthur had only been aware that Mal had killed herself, and didn't expect what would happen next. Arthur unlocked the door, pushing it open for his partner. He glanced behind him, seeing Dom staring off into space, and yanked on the other's hand. Dominic glanced up; looking disoriented for a moment, and then realized that Arthur had opened the door. The two men stepped in; Dominic leading and Arthur switching the lights on and setting the hotel card where he knew Dominic would find it.

Arthur suddenly noticed how silent the room was; and he poked his head out around the corner. Dom was standing right in the center of the room, regarding the quivering curtain, his shoulders stiff.

"Dom," Arthur questioned, "what's wrong?"

Dominic flinched, and Arthur marched across the room, concerned. All of the blood had drained from Dom's face, leaving him as pale as a sheet, and his haunted blue eyes were wide, fixated solely on the curtain before him. Arthur rested his hand on Dominic's shoulder, trying to divert his partner's attention. Arthur shook him a little, and he gasped, his face paling further, before stumbling into the bathroom and retching. Arthur stood, shocked and confused, for a minute. He heard the toilet flushing, then the sink running. He walked over to the door; cautious. He found Dom splashing cold water on his face, still gasping for breath.

Dominic turned off the water, resting his elbows against the sink and holding his head in his hands. He took several deep breaths, trying to calm his nerves, and regarded Arthur.

Arthur winced sympathetically at Dominic, and followed him over to the edge of the bed. Dom sat down, but Arthur remained standing. It would be months before Dom would be able to explain his experience like he did at that very moment, when it was fresh and stung like salt in an open wound. He told the entire story, from beginning to end, before it just became too much for him to tolerate. Arthur couldn't fathom the amount of trauma Dom had experienced, and simply laid a hand on the man's back, a bit awkwardly, as he wept.

Dominic had never quite looked at curtains the same, and he typically refused a hotel room more than three stories high. His house had vertical blinds on all the windows except the living room. He never visited the bridge where Ariadne had had her first lesson on dreaming. He never went to a beach. Arthur had noted all of these, and hadn't said a word. He simply let the man be, until he himself asked to be comforted, and tried to understand.

What vexed him, though, was that even after the inception – even after Dominic had let go of Mal – he continued to be horribly distraught and tense. Arthur had visited Dom three times since then, and the man was still pale and sickly-looking, dark circles beneath his eyes. He got sidetracked easily, sometimes focusing on small things like a shadow outside, or a flickering light. If nobody caught his attention again, and quickly, he'd start to get panicked.

Now, stuck in his friend's house watching his kids and unable to help him, he sent frantic texts to Saito and Eames, asking if they knew where they might find Dom and whether or not they could help. He notified the police as well, since the man had now been missing for more than forty-eight hours. He gave them as much information as possible, and they assured him that they would find him. His spirits were lifted a little bit with that comment, but the dread was still there.

* * *

The door swung open, and Dominic was flooded with a mixture of dread and relief. He hated the darkness of the room and was glad for the light, but he didn't look forward to whatever Cobol's plans for him were. He could see George's shadow, but the man didn't actually enter the room.

"Have you made your mind, Mr. Cobb? Will you work with us or not?" George's voice was practically lifeless, as if he didn't care what Dominic said and already knew the answer to his question, which Dom figured was probably true.

Dominic decided to test the theory. "Which do you think, George?" He spat the man's name out angrily. He knew it was disrespectful, but at this point nobody would really care about respect, were they in his shoes. George chuckled quietly.

"I knew you would say that," he replied. "Considering your current position and your tendency to favor emotion over logic, I'd say you are going to refuse to work for us. No matter what threats we use against you."

Dom raised an eyebrow. "That would be correct. Now, don't keep me waiting for much longer, would you? Waiting isn't something of a hobby for me." He'd probably regret saying that later, but Dominic's mouth was moving five times faster than his mind.

George didn't respond at first. When he did, it was with a quiet voice and pure disappointment. "Well Mr. Cobb, just remember that it was your choice when you lose sight of everything you have worked so hard for." The door slammed shut, echoing loudly.

It took nearly forty minutes before the words George had spoken truly sunk into Dom's mind. And when they did, the result was fearsome. They branded Dominic's thoughts, repeating in his mind like a broken record. For just a while, the man was able to completely forget about the hunger that gnawed at his stomach, the thirst that made his throat ache, and the headache that distorted his vision and thoughts. What was left, however, could be considered much worse.

He tried to remember his children, hoping that would lift his spirits a little. It didn't.

_ Dominic had moved once he'd scraped up enough money to do so, not wanting to stay in a home with so many bad memories any longer. The sun had risen by now, and the silent, lightly-decorated home was filled with soft yellow light. Shadows thrust themselves out behind every object or wall, and Dominic gazed at them, some unknown fear lurking in the recesses of his mind._

_ James walked up to him, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "Daddy," he asked, "why are you awake?" Dominic yanked his attention away from the shadows, grinning at his son and ruffling his hair._

_ "Morning, squirt. Are you ready for breakfast now, huh?"_

_ And with that, Dominic had completely forgotten about the shadows._

But now, he was surrounded by shadows.


	4. Chapter 4 - Sunrise

When Dominic awoke, he found that he was no longer tied to the chair, which wasn't even in the room anymore. He scooted over to the door cautiously, turning the handle. It was locked from the outside. However, the crack beneath the door was much wider than normal. He gazed at it for a moment, then jumped as a tray slid through and into the room. As his vision focused as best as it could, he realized it was food, along with a small glass of water. His instincts took over, and he devoured it all without thinking. Dom realized it could have been poisoned or laced with some sort of drug long after eating. He felt the same, but the results could be slow...

* * *

Three weeks later, on January 1st, Arthur had found a babysitter for James and Phillipa, and was checking his texts. He'd finally gotten another one from the unidentified caller - this time it said to "find the red jeep at the cemetery." He forwarded the text to one of the police officers he was friends with; Owen, and figured that there really wasn't anything to lose, so he walked over to the nearest cemetery and found - what a surprise - a big red jeep parked in plain sight. He walked over to it, and the driver's window rolled down. He didn't know the person who was there, but the man clearly knew who he was.

"Hello, Arthur. Jackson wished to meet you in person," he said. "Since we'll probably be in contact quite often from now on, my name is Jack." he held his hand out through the window, and Arthur reluctantly shook it.

"This is quite...formal, for a kidnapping," he mused.

"Ah, well. You're not quite the same as Mr. Cobb, so we'd decided to handle it differently," he replied. "Get in the jeep; we don't have much time."

Arthur walked around to the other side and climbed in, staring at Jack expectantly. Through the rear view window, he saw Owenr's car parking behind them. He could see him writing down the license plate number, and quickly distracted Jack. The man liked to talk, and didn't notice the panic in Arthur's voice, nor the cop behind him.

Jack pulled off of the curb, and Owen followed. Arthur continued to distract the man throughout the entire trip, and when they arrived at the building, the cop stopped only for a minute, then continued to drive down the street as if he'd never been following the jeep. Arthur silently thanked himself for being so smart.

* * *

Dominic was exhausted. The food they had been giving him was terrible and didn't give him any energy at all, and his captors had been trying the beat the information out of him, but he stubbornly refused to tell them anything. George hadn't shown up ever since Dom had refused the offer, and he kind of missed the other man's company. At least he talked to him. The other men simply beat the shit out of him, leaving him sore, hurt, and tired; as well as hungry.

His nightmares had only gotten worse, but he couldn't resist the need to sleep. He knew what the thugs thought of him, too - they were the tourists that had gone with him and Arthur on the Cobol job, so they thought he was a weakling. He hadn't fought back when they'd threatened him for messing it all up. Now, he was simply in too much pain to fight. His concussion hadn't really gone away, either, and it continued to bother his vision and give him nasty headaches.

He'd overheard something about Arthur, and he hoped the other man had figured out some way to outsmart Cobol and his men

* * *

George had been truly disappointed when Dominic refused to work with them. He'd actually had some respect for the man - he knew a little bit of what had happened to him and admired his ability to continue to work, despite the threat it caused to his life and sanity. But he also understood why Dom couldn't let Cobol get his hands on the secrets to inception.

George didn't want Dom's life to be thrown away, but he didn't want to betray Cobol openly. So, he invented a plan. He convinced Cobol and his men that Arthur knew more about inception than Dominic, and he would be too enthralled with the idea of a new paycheck to bring in any kind of help for Dom. Honestly, George hadn't expected it to work, but it did.

Now he just had to wait for Arthur and the police to arrive, and he could set his plan into motion.

* * *

Arthur was escorted into a rather small room, which was much like an interrogation room. There was a table with a chair on each side. He sat in one, and waited. He knew the police would be on their way, but he didn't know how long until they'd arrive.

Jackson walked into the room, taking a seat. He wasn't a particularly handsome man; he was short and slightly overweight, with cold blue eyes and mid-length brown hair. His expression was neutral.

"Ah, so I finally get to meet the great Colby Jack," Arthur said, smirking as Jackson scowled.

"I'll have you know that this is not entirely my choice. You and Mr. Cobb have deeply upset me. My company has practically gone bankrupt, due to your choices."

Arthur decided to try something new. "We just did it for the money. If you were to offer something greater than Saito did, perhaps we'd both go back and fix everything for you."

"Or you can tell us how to perform inception." Jackson said.

"Oh, it isn't that easy, Colby. Nobody else would be capable of it. Only we have the experience to pull it off."

The door opened, and another man walked in, leaning in next to Jackson. He whispered something to the businessman, and Jackson's eyes widened. He stared at Arthur for a moment. "You little-"  
Arthur pretended to be confused. "What? What's happening?"

"Don't play dumb with me. You called the police, didn't you?"

"No! I'm a wanted man, your little red jeep must have been too suspicious!" Arthur was starting to enjoy himself.

Jackson stood up. "Follow me," he said. Arthur shrugged, following him out of the door. Suddenly, a police officer popped out from around a corner and stopped Jackson. Arthur skipped away as the officer cuffed Jackson. He ran into George Woodruff while looking through the hallway.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to help you," George said, quickly. "I know where they're keeping him, and you wouldn't find him without my help. Follow me." Arthur tagged behind George, following him into the labyrinth of a building. Suddenly, they stopped at a rather small door. There was a key hanging next to the door, and George took it, then gave it to Arthur. He smiled at the man, then began walking away.

"Where are you going?" Arthur asked.

"I'm going to turn myself in. Happy new year," he said, then disappeared down the hallway.

Arthur shrugged to himself, pushing the key into the doorknob and unlocking it. The door swung open slowly, and Arthur was shocked at what he found.

* * *

Dominic had been just about ready to give into Cobol's demands when he heard the sound of police sirens and people shouting distantly. Relief swept over him momentarily, but he realized they might not find him very quickly. So he sat, waiting for something as his vision swam in and out of focus. He felt chilled to the bone, but he knew his skin was practically burning hot to the touch. His throat ached, and he doubted he'd be able to talk for a while.

All things considered, Dom just wanted to go home.

It felt like centuries before the door clicked, then opened. Dom was surprised to see Arthur, alone.

"Dominic? Is that you?" Arthur walked over to him, kneeling so he was eye-level with Dom, who nodded slowly. Arthur helped Dom up onto his feet before hugging him tightly.

Arthur helped Dominic walk through the building, talking about everything that had happened along the way. "You know, I found the funniest article in the newspaper yesterday. It said that Fischer/Morrow bought the airline Proclus Global had bought, for our inception. Fischer himself said, "it seemed familiar, but I just can't put my finger on it." I wonder if he'll recognize the plane..." Arthur and Dom chuckled.

Dominic cleared his throat, then tried to speak. his voice was hoarse at first, but he managed to get is words out clear enough. "If you want your dreams to come true, the first thing you have to do is wake up." J.M. Power said that...but we proved him wrong, didn't we, Arthur?"

"We sure did," Arthur chuckled. "Here's one I heard a while ago - "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." I really like that one."

"Me too," Dom said, smiling faintly.

Arthur helped Dom into the back of Owen's car, then got in on the other side. He leaned forward, whispering to Owen to go to the hospital. He knew Dominic wouldn't like it, but he wasn't sure of how to help the man at this point. The drive was mostly quiet, aside from Dom's occasional coughing fits and Arthur's quiet conversation.


	5. Chapter 5 - Family

Dominic's recovery was slow. Excruciatingly slow, as Arthur would put it. Arthur brought James and Phillipa to visit, but Dom was often too exhausted to keep them entertained for long. He was there for nearly a month, slowly recovering. When he was finally released from the hospital, he was as physically healthy as Arthur had remembered him before Mal had passed away.

Mentally recovering, however, didn't look to ever be possible. Though, Arthur had figured that out from the second he saw Dom fall apart in his hotel room.

Arthur awoke thinking that Dominic was still in the hospital. Ten minutes later, he panicked _because Dom was not asleep next to him_, as he should and would would be. Arthur ran frantically through the house in nothing but his boxers loking for his partner. He found the man sitting at the table, eating an alarmingly large bowl of James's Fruit Loops and reading the newspaper. Arthur stood in the doorway, his hair sticking up in every direction, completely speechless.

Dominic noticed Arthur, glancing up at the man. He blinked, smiled through a mouth full of sugary cereal, and focused back on the newspaper. Once he'd swallowed, he addressed Arthur, not looking at him.

"Good morning, sleepyhead. Why are you looking at me like I did something wrong?"

Arthur shook his head, taking a seat. "I've never seen you eat something so...unhealthy," he chuckled.

"Mmm. Once you have two little kids who wake up five minutes after you, and you don't feel like cooking, you kind of stop caring about anything but the sugar level," Dominic replied. "Don't tell me you've never had this stuff." He looked up from his newspaper, and Arthur shook his head 'no.'

"Christ, Artie! Live a little, why don't you?" He pushed his bowl over to Arthur.

"Eat it. It's like coffee but less bitter."

"But this is your bowl..." Arthur muttered, glancing down at it. Dominic stared at him. "Oh alright, don't even say it, Dom. I know we have basically the same germs, that's always your excuse..."

-

Arthur had decided to stop with the shared dreaming while Dominic was in the hospital, and he found a house near Dom's and moved in. He owned nothing but a couple of suits and some insignificant personal items, but he had a lot of money. He texted Dominic the address and demanded the man go furniture shopping with him.

When Dominic arrived at the furniture store Arthur had chosen, he was wearing the black-and white striped scarf Arthur had given him on his birthday the year before. Dominic's birthday wasn't very long after his and Mal's anniversary, and the year Arthur had bought the scarf was the same year Mal died. Dominic had completely overlooked the date, and had been so surprised by the gift that he'd forgotten all about Mal, at least for a day.

They found that furniture store was quite large, and the two spent nearly two hours looking through the different things. They both pitched in, and managed to buy Arthur a bed, a table and chairs, a laptop, and a television. Arthur had noticed that Dom looked a little healthier than usual, and much happier. He hoped the man was getting over the trauma, even just a slight bit. Arthur had specifically chosen to live less than a block away from Dominic, so he could keep an eye on him, and watch the kids when Dom couldn't find anyone else to.

Dominic and Arthur had barely managed to fit all of the boxes in their cars, and had an even harder time getting them back out. The two carried all of the said boxes (and the mattress) into Arthur's kitchen, and then set to work on opening and building them/setting them up. After an hour of deciphering Spanish instruction manuals and dropping important pieces, which always resulted in swear words that Dom would never repeat around his children, they had set up exactly one television, one bed, two chairs, and half of a table.

"We've still got a half an hour before James and Phillipa finish school," Dominic remarked.

"Alright…do you want to grab something for lunch? I'm absolutely famished," Arthur asked.

Dominic agreed, and he drove Arthur to the nearest restaurant, a family-owned Mexican one. Neither of them had been there before, so they ordered the first thing that caught their attention, which was a chimichanga. Needless to say, both were surprised when they received a nearly three-person meal; the chimichanga itself was as thick as Dom's forearm, and there were three sides – refried beans, yellow rice, and chips, as well as a large glob of some kind of salsa which both were afraid to taste.

Arthur ended up eating the most, at only half of the plate, and Dom barely managed a quarter of it before declaring himself "too stuffed to function properly."

Once they had packed up their leftovers, the two drove to the school and picked up James and Phillipa. The kids had both squealed with delight when they found out that he'd moved practically next door and could visit often. Dominic dropped off Arthur at his house, promising to go grocery shopping with him, and drove home. The rest of the evening went peacefully, and Dom hoped that nothing would ruin that peace for a while.

THE END

* * *

A/N: I admit, that went way too fast. I over thought the whole story, but didn't have enough focus to write it well. Sorry, but I hope you enjoyed it! :)


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